Fort Laramie Treaty

What it is

This handwritten 1868 treaty was agreed between U.S. government commissioners and chiefs and headmen of several Sioux bands, along with the Arapaho. It recognized the Black Hills as part of a Great Sioux Reservation for the exclusive use of the Sioux people. The original is kept in the U.S. National Archives.

Why it matters

The treaty was meant to end years of war on the frontier, but its promises were broken when gold was found in the Black Hills and settlers and the army moved in. The conflict that followed led to the Battle of Little Bighorn and, eventually, the loss of the land. Sitting Bull refused to sign the treaty and distrusted its promises; the later violation of this document helped push him and his people toward the war of 1876.

Look closer

• Why might Sitting Bull have refused to sign an agreement meant to protect his people's land?
• What does the treaty's language of 'peace' and 'honor' leave out about how it was later broken?
• Whose names appear on the document, and whose do not?